Once upon a time
by swalow
Summary: Warning! Contain spoilers from Freefall book 3 and in last chapter from Spiral book 5 . This is the story of Elliott's background and childhood. Characters is: Elliott, Molly, Eddie, Drake and Will a couple of made up ones. Rated T for language and light violence/mature themes. But if you can read the books without problems, you'll be able to read this too.
1. Chapter 1 – The different styx

**Chapter 1: The Different Styx**

"What the hell did you just say? He's a _Styx?_" Molly's sister Amy shouted at her. Molly shrugged, and looked out the window. "You tell me you've met someone, and that he's really nice and the perfect guy for you. I thought, 'Oh, how nice!' But then you tell me he's a Styx. _A Styx, _Molly!"

"Yes, he's a Styx. But not an ordinary one, I promise!"

"You know about the Styx, don't you? You remember how they took your friend when you were a kid, just because he stole an apple? What was his name again? Something with a 'G', wasn't it? Anyway, I have no idea what they did to him, but I'm sure it wasn't good. Do you want the same to happen to you, or what?"

Molly rolled her eyes. She loved her sister, sure. But Amy had always been this overprotective, and Molly hated it. She wished she were the oldest of them instead. But she wasn't. Amy was 25 and shewas only 19, and therefore, Molly always had to fight to get her way. "Of course not!" Molly shouted back, and looked her sister in the eyes.

"Molly, you're so stupid! Have I ever told you so?" Molly's sister sighed. _Yes, you have_, Molly thought, but she didn't say anything. Amy continued, "I'm not beautiful. I think you probably got all the good-looking genes, and I must admit I'm really jealous of you for that. So please, please, don't throw your gift away. You can get almost any guy you want from the Colony."

"But I don't want anyone else but him!" Molly objected. But Amy didn't listen to her, as usual.

"What about Michael? You know, that good-looking guy. He's Annie's son, isn't he?"

"He's a jerk," Molly muttered.

"How about Eric? He's…"

"I _said_, I don't want anyone else but _him_!" Molly stood up, and crossed her arms over her chest to show her sister she wasn't going to change her mind. "I thought you of all people would understand! That's why I told you first. But I guess I was wrong."

Amy sighed again, and Molly could tell from her expression that she gave up. "You're so stupid…" she repeated quietly. Molly smiled triumphantly, and was just leaving when Amy asked, "What's his name?"

"Eddie", Molly replied. "His name is Eddie." Then she left her sister's house.

_Eddie_, she thought. He was so different. He wasn't like a Styx at all; the only similarity was his appearance. He looked like a Styx, but he truly was much better than the rest.

They had met two months ago. Molly had been shopping, and in her hands she carried two huge shopping bags. Suddenly, one of them had broken open and all the groceries had fallen out. And then he was there, just like that. She didn't even see him, but he'd emerged from the shadows, quiet as a cat. At first, she'd been extremely scared. Styx weren't to be played with. They didn't often hang out in her parts of the Colony (they usually concentrated more on the middle parts) and if they did, they never let anyone see them. So Molly had been shocked when the Styx stooped to help her pick up her groceries. She'd stared at him with wide eyes and an open mouth. He didn't even notice till he was finished. Then he'd turned his attention towards her.

"Hello," was all he'd said. He had helped her carry her bags home, and then he'd disappeared. But he returned a couple of times afterwards, and they got to know each other. Molly frowned when she thought about it. All of this business with Eddie really was crazy, and if someone had told her a year ago that she would fall in love with a Styx, she would have laughed.

But it was true. She was in love. With a Styx. And his name was Eddie. _What a sweet name, _Molly thought and smiled to herself.


	2. Chapter 2 – The child

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**Chapter 2: The Child**

- Three months later –

Molly cried, though she didn't know they were tears of joy or sadness. Or both, perhaps. _I have to tell Eddie. I've got to tell him. And I've got to tell my sister. Shit, I have to tell Amy. She will freak out_, Molly thought, and pressed her face against her dirty pillow.

Suddenly, someone knocked on her door, and Molly sighed. _Oh, no_, she thought. She hurriedly tried to wipe the tears off her face with some paper and went to answer the door.

It was Eddie who stood there. It wasn't that she didn't want to see him; in fact, she'd really missed him the last two weeks while he'd been on a secret mission for the Styx. But Molly didn't want to talk about what the doctor just had told her. She didn't even understand it completely herself, so she had no idea how she was going to tell Eddie.

"Aren't you going to say hi?" he said thoughtfully and looked down at her.

"Err… Of course. Hi! I was just shocked to see you. Weren't you going to come home tomorrow?"

"Yes, but there was a change of plans." Eddie stepped in to her house and hugged her tight. And she hugged him even tighter. "Have you been crying?" Eddie asked when she finally let go of him. Molly thought for a second, and decided to be honest with him. There was no reason to lie, or things would just get even worse, so she nodded.

"Why?" he asked with black piercing eyes. They were so dark. You couldn't even distinguish the iris from the pupil. At least, not in the poorly lit hallway of Molly's house. Molly couldn't help it. This was too much. She started crying again and between her sobs she whispered something.

"What?" said Eddie.

Molly took a deep, shuddering breath, and said, "I'm pregnant."

"What?" Eddie said again, this time not because he didn't hear her. "Have you been with anyone else these last few months?" Molly's heart broke when she heard how hopeful he sounded. He would be _happy_ if she answered yes. But she'd decided not to lie.

"No", she whispered, shaking her head.

"Oh, Molly", he murmured and hugged her tight again. "Have you been to the doctor?"

"Yes."

"But he didn't know the child was…"

"No", Molly said, sparing him the words. Because a human and a Styx having children together was highly forbidden, and very shameful. Almost every time a human/Styx child was born, the parents threw them into the canalization. And if they didn't, the Styx would kill both the child and its entire family.

"We won't throw her, will we?" Molly whispered, shivering.

"Of course not." Eddie said. "If they hurt you, or anyone you love, I promise I will kill them all."

The weeks passed incredibly fast, and soon Molly couldn't hide her growing stomach to her friends and family anymore. She revealed only to her sister the real father's identity. To everybody else, Molly said the father was a traveler, and that she didn't even know his real name. Well, that was actually true, in a way. Eddie was a traveler, and Molly didn't know his real name either. Eddie was short for Edward. And that was only what he was called when he went Topsoil.

"How is it?" Molly had asked him once. "Up there, I mean. On the outside."

Eddie had sighed happily at the thought. "It's wonderful. The ceiling is blue, but you can't see where it begins. And there are trees. And the people live in huge cities, with huge buildings. There's grass on the floor, and flowers, too. And there aren't any Styx." Molly didn't understand what trees, flowers or grass were, but she didn't really care. All she could think about was his last comment.

"No Styx?" she'd repeated, surprised.

"Nope." Eddie had said and smiled at her. After that, Molly always dreamt about going up there sometime. But no one had ever made it before. A few people had tried, but the Styx always caught them and killed them. Probably even tortured them. And Molly didn't want to die, especially since she had a child to take care of.

She would fight for him or her, and she wouldn't ever let the Styx get to them. Neither would Eddie, Molly knew for certain.


	3. Chapter 3 – Dark eyes

**Chapter 3: Dark Eyes**

- A few months later –

_She is so beautiful_, Molly thought when she finally held her newborn daughter in her arms. She _was_ beautiful. However, she was a bit different than the rest of the babies in the Colony. Her most notable features were her eyes. They were dark brown. Not black like her father's, but a deep, dark brown. Molly knew that when her daughter's hair grew in, it would be dark as well.

"Oh, she's so sweet!" Emily said, and Anna nodded in agreement. Molly sat with her two friends in her bedroom, showing her daughter to them.

"But…? Her eyes?" Anna mentioned hesitantly.

"I know. The guy had dark eyes. He was a Topsoiler," Molly explained to throw off suspicion.

"So, she's not a…?"

"No! Of course not!" Molly cut her off, sounding a bit angrier than she intended.

"Oh, I see," said Anna with a placating tone. "Well, she's very cute anyway."

"What will you name her?" asked Emily excitedly. "I think she looks like a Amelia. Or maybe Mirabella."

_Oh, you've got it all wrong! She's not going to be girly and sweet. She's not going to be ornamental at all. She will be strong. A survivor. And she will be absolutely amazing_, Molly thought.

But she didn't say anything out loud, just nodded and smiled instead. "Maybe", she said, "I haven't really decided yet." She was lying. Her daughter was going to be called Elliott. Molly had always liked that name. It was beautiful, just like her daughter. But she decided not to tell her friends yet. She had a strong suspicion that they wouldn't like it.

Once, Molly, Anna and Emily had been great friends. They did everything together. But now, everything had changed. They weren't like her at all. All they wanted was to find a man – a good-looking one – and look pretty, but they were just trying too hard. And Molly hated to admit it – because after all they were her friends – but they would never keep up with her looks. Every boy in the Colony wanted her. But she wanted none of them. Just Eddie. She would have loved to tell her friends all about him, but she knew that if she did, they would probably hate her.

"Oh, okay", said Emily. "But you should really think about those names, because I think they would be perfect!"

"I will," Molly lied again and smiled. Her daughter was going to be called Elliott. Nothing else. Molly had already decided. Elliott, it was just so _right_.


	4. Chapter 4 – Halfbreed

**Chapter 4: Half-breed**

- Five years later –

"Is there any more?" Elliott asked, disappointed.

Her aunt Amy sighed. "You are so spoiled, my dear. Why do I even bother to take care of you?"

Elliott thought for a moment. "Because you love me? And Mummy?"

"Yeah, I guess so." Elliott's aunt sighed again. Sighing was something she did very often, Elliott noticed.

"Why do you sigh so much?" she asked.

"I guess it's because I'm a bit worried."

"What are you worried about?"

"Many things. You're too young to care, anyway. Go away and play, or whatever you children are doing these days," she said. "And isn't any more soup, I'm afraid."

Elliott shrugged, left the table, and ran out to the street. She turned the corner and almost bumped into her mum.

"Hello!" Elliott greeted her mother, hugging her tight.

"Hello, my love. Where are you going?"

"I'm on my way to the other kids. Aunt told me to go play, 'or whatever we children are doing these days," Elliott said, mimicking her aunt's voice.

Molly laughed, but frowned when she observed her daughter's appearance. "But what have you done to your hair?" she sighed in exasperation.

"Sorry, Mum. I didn't like it," Elliott admitted. Earlier that morning, her mum had put Elliott's hair up in a beautiful creation, but it wasn't comfortable so Elliott had let her hair out and it now looked resembled some kind of bird's nest.

"That's a shame. But go on and play now, my dear. I have to speak with your father."

"Is Dad here?" Elliott asked hopefully.

"Yes, but you will see him later, so go play."

Elliott nodded and smiled wide, then ran away. It had been a very long time since she had seen her dad. She didn't really know much about him. Her mum always told people he was a traveler, and that she hadn't seen him again. But Elliott knew that her mother lied, even though she had no idea why. Her dad was very tall, and very, very strong. He used to lift Elliott up high above his head and swing her around. She always asked her mum to do the same, but her mum was too weak. Elliott's dad was kind to her, and he always brought her fruit and other things that weren't very common in her parts of the Colony. Elliott couldn't wait to see him again; she really loved her daddy a lot.

After a few minutes of running, Elliott reached the street where she and the other children would play together. But there was only the baker's son there. His name was Marcus, and he could be very irritable. Normally, he loved to mess with her. But now he hid behind a house when she came.

"Marcus? I know you're there," Elliott called, and Marcus stuck his little pale face out and stared at her with wide eyes.

"I'm not supposed to talk to you," he finally said, his voice wary.

Elliott frowned, confused. "Why not?"

Marcus hesitated for a few seconds. "You're a Styx", he said at last, emerging slowly from behind the house. He approached her cautiously, as if she would bite him. He glanced at her as if she was one of the thin, sick, aggressive cats in the streets that they sometimes chased through the alleys.

"What?" Elloitt stared back at him, shocked. She quickly blurted, "No, I'm not!"

"Yes, you are!" Marcus retorted. "Human and styx. Half-breed. You street cat."

"I'm not a Styx!"

"Yes, you are!" he repeated, adamant. "I heard my parents say so."

"What did they say?"

"They said that your mum is a whore, and-"

"What's that?" Elliott interrupted.

"You're only five years old, Elliott. You're not supposed to know that kind of stuff yet," said Marcus. He was one year older then her, which he thought was fun to tease her about. "Anyway, they said that your dad is a Styx. They saw your mum and him together. And he's definitely a Styx, they said. Then they noticed me listening in, and they told me not to tell you. They also said I'm not allowed to be with you anymore. I can't even talk to you."

"But I'm not a Styx!"

"So why is your hair black then? And your eyes are brown. Haven't you noticed that everybody else has white hair and either blue or red eyes?"

Elliott stared at him angrily, but she didn't contradict him. Because she had noticed. She knew she was different, but she'd never considered the idea that she was a Styx.

"Marcus?" someone shouted from Marcus' house down the street. He looked nervously over his shoulder.

"I'm coming, Dad!" he shouted back and instantly ran home without even looking back at Elliott, who just stood there, frozen. Styx? Half-breed? That wasn't true. It couldn't be.

Or, could it?


	5. Chapter 5 – The peach

**Chapter 5: The Peach**

– Later that day –

"Dad!" Elliott shouted when she entered her house. She could see her parents sitting close to each other on the living room floor in front of the fireplace.

"There you are," her father said, and his thin mouth curled into a wide smile. Elliott ran into his arms, and he held her close, stroking her hair. "I missed you a lot, love."

"I missed you very, very, very much," Elliott said. "Dad, where are you when you're not here?"

Her father was quiet for a bit, as if he was thinking. "I'll tell you about my work someday. When you're a bit older, okay?" He looked at her mum, who nodded slightly. He looked back at Elliott and smiled. "I promise." Elliott nodded. "Oh, I almost forgot! Look what I have for you!" he said, taking a peach out of his bag.

"What's that?" Elliott asked, stroking the fruit's soft skin with her small fingers, her brown eyes wide with awe. She'd never seen anything like it before. It was like an apple, but with fur.

"It's a peach. And it's very good."

"As good as apples?"

"Much better than apples," Elliott's dad said and handed the fruit to her.

"Thanks, Dad! I'll save it for tonight," she said and hugged him once more. "How long will you stay this time?"

"Not very long, I'm afraid. I must leave tonight."

"Tonight? But why can't you stay longer? Just one day? Please, Dad?" Elliott pleaded desperately.

"I'm sorry, Elliott, but I have to work."

"Oh…" Elliott mumbled disappointedly. "But when will you be back?"

"Very soon. I promise."

But he didn't come back for little Elliott. Not for a very, very long time.

"Where is he?" asked Elliott one night while she and her mum ate supper.

"Where is who?"

"Dad, of course! When is he coming back? He said he would be back very soon, but it's been over a month now!"

Molly's face went flat and emotionless, but Elliott could see in her mother's eyes that she was very, very sad.

"I don't know," she finally said. "Eat up now, you said you were hungry." Elliott looked down at her plate and proceeded to finish her meal.

Later that night she heard her mum sobbing in her room. Elliott thought about going inside to comfort her. But she decided that it was probably best to leave Mummy alone.


	6. Chapter 6 – Pain

**Chapter 6: Pain**

Two Styx sat Eddie down in a hard chair. They bent his arms and his legs, and forced his head back. Then they took the dark light out, and Eddie shivered at the sight. Eddie had used the dark light a thousand times himself, and he'd heard the screams people made. Screams of horrible pain. The machine began to purr, and the room filled with the purple light that he knew so well. But he only knew how it was from the perspective _behind_ the machine. He would watch the poor people sitting in the chair, but he never imagined it was _this _horrible. It felt like something was eating him up, from the inside. Every little part of his body screamed in pain, and his head felt like it was going to explode. He was so angry, so sad, so hopeless and in so much pain that he couldn't think clearly.

"Have you ever been with a human?" one of the Styx interrogated.

"No!" Eddie screamed as the pain got even worse.

"Do you have a daughter?"

"No, no, no! I don't know what you're talking about!" Once again, the pain escalated.

"Are you telling us the truth?"

"Yes!"

And it continued like that. Eddie had no idea how long the torture lasted. It could have been anything from a half hour to a week. In the end the world turned black, and for a moment, Eddie thought he was dead. And he felt happy. But obviously he wasn't dead because now he lay on a cold, stone floor in a cold, dark room. Probably in the prison of the Styx headquarters. But he didn't know for sure.

He couldn't remember what he had said in the later parts, but he really hoped that he had been quiet, although he knew it was practically impossible. Every time Eddie had used the dark light, the people wouldn't confess anything at first. But in the end, the Styx always got the information they wanted. Suddenly, someone opened the door to his cell and burning light streamed inside, blinding his eyes.

"You can come out now," the man said gruffly and offered his hand to help Eddie stand up. Eddie stubbornly refused to take it. He followed the Styx out of his room and up a long staircase.

"They have decided to release you. And your little family."

Eddie's heart began to beat faster. "Why?" he said. When he understood his mistake, he hurried up to add, "Not that I've got a family."

The man laughed coldly. "Sure," he chuckled in a voice that revealed his disbelief. Anyway, your uncle saved you. You should really thank him for that. He said that you told us the truth. Not that anyone actually believed in him, but he's got a high position and we couldn't afford to lose him. But honestly - this is a tip from me personally and not from the others - don't go back. We've got our eyes on you, and if we see that you sneak away to the western parts again we won't hesitate to kill you," he said, and added, "and your loved ones. But don't tell them I told you this."

Eddie nodded quietly. He had a cold feeling in the pit of his stomach because he didn't know who this man was, but he knew that he was very, very right. Eddie couldn't go back.


	7. Chapter 7 – Escape

**Chapter 7: Escape**

– Seven years later –

Elliott was a big girl now – 12 years old. _That was a lot_, she thought. The years had flown past. But as Elliott grew stronger, her mum grew weaker. Before, when her dad was still alive – because Elliott was now certain he was dead – she'd been a nice and funny person. Now she was like an old lady. Always complaining, telling Elliott what to do even though Elliott never listened. She was even worse than Aunt Amy.

Not only Elliott, but also her hatred for the Styx had grown larger in time. She loathed them with her whole heart.

Elliott couldn't live like this anymore. All her mum did was worry about her. And what would happen if the Styx came for them. There were spies _everywhere_. They couldn't trust anyone but each other and Aunt Amy. Elliott didn't even have a real friend. There were people here that she hung out with sometime. But she didn't really trust any of them, and behind her back she knew they called her 'half-breed' and other mean nicknames. If Elliott had known what a sheep was, maybe she would have felt like the lone black sheep in a herd of white ones.

That was the reason why she now stood before the mirror, cutting her long, black hair off. She cut it short, for she was going down to the Deeps now. She was crazy, possibly, but anything was better than staying in the Colony.

Elliott had heard many stories from people she knew about the Deeps. But she suspected that most of them had been fabricated or exaggerated by the Styx themselves to scare people.

But Elliott wasn't scared. She was a survivor. She left her old home with a huge backpack filled with necessary items and went down.

She couldn't say goodbye to her mum. If she tried to, her mother would stop her from leaving. And Elliott didn't want to be held back anymore. She was the commander of her own life, and she was ready to drive it the direction_she_ wanted.


	8. Chapter 8 – The Rescue

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**Chapter 8: The rescue**

– One week later –

Elliott had been down in the Deeps for more than a week. She would probably have been dead by now if she hadn't found the little river from which she now drunk. Everything felt so much better with some water in her body.

When she was finished she lay down beside the river to sleep, but she couldn't. All she could think about was her mum. What would she do now, when she realized Elliott had run away? Elliott guessed her mother was really sad, probably blaming herself for Elliott's disappearance. Elliott missed her a lot.

Suddenly, while she laid there thinking about all this, she heard voices. She froze, listening carefully to what they were saying. She relaxed a little when she heard they spoke English. The Styx never spoke English when they didn't have to. They thought it was shameful and preferred their own language. The voices had to be from the Colony. She thought for a moment. If they were Colonists, and she was almost positive that they were, then they would probably be nice to her. And she knew – even though she preferred not to think about it – that she couldn't manage to live on her own forever. She was a good survivor, sure. But her stomach screamed for food. She finally made up her mind.

"Who's there?" she said quietly, her voice shaking a bit. The men went silent, and she could hear them stop walking.

"Did you hear that?" one of the men asked quietly.

"Yes, it was a voice," the other one replied. "Where are you? Walk towards our light, slowly, so we can see who you are." Elliott obeyed; she could see a light orb's green shine on her right side and started to walk towards it. She could soon see the men better. One was very tall, and the other one a bit shorter, and now she could see they were definitely from the Colony. Their hair was white and their eyes were red.

"A child?" the short one said. "A styx child?" he added when he noticed her hair colour.

"No," Elliott said, "I'm a Colonist like you. My dad's a Styx, but I hate them just as much as everybody else."

"How long have you been down here?" the tall one asked.

"About a week, I think." The man seemed to think for a moment.

"Do you want to come with us? You can have food, drink, and a bed, if you'd like? Honestly, I don't want to worry you, but it's a big world out there with lots of danger," he added and looked her in her eyes. She didn't really like him; he scared her. But he had offered her a place to live. A safe place. And food. _Oh, food_…

"Yes, I want to come with you," she said, nodding.

"Fine. I'm Lloyd. And this is Jacob," said the tall man – Lloyd – and smiled at her. "What's your name, my little friend?"

"Elliott."

"That's a nice name. Let's go home then," said Lloyd. Elliott grabbed her bag and followed them to the place where they lived.

It wasn't big. In fact, it was very small. Some kind of cave, probably. But there were beds, and they did have lots of food.

That night, when she lay on some sort of bed, trying to sleep, Elliott heard the two men talking outside.

"Why the hell did you bring her here? Now we'll never get rid of her!" Jacob said. He sounded angry.

"You're so stupid sometimes. She's a girl!"

"So what?" Elliott heard Lloyd sigh.

"Don't you want some fun?" he said. "Are you gay or something? Anyway, it doesn't matter. I'll take her myself."

"Of course I'm not gay! But I think I understand what you mean now," Jacob said and laughed.

"Shut up. You'll wake her," Lloyd barked. Then they stopped talking. But Elliott couldn't sleep. What had they meant?


	9. Chapter 9 – The Real Rescue

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**Chapter 9: The True Rescue **

– A couple of weeks later –

They had done horrible things to Elliott. She wasn't sure how long she'd been with them, but probably two to three weeks or something like that. And she hated every moment.

Today, Elliott, Jacob and Lloyd were walking around, searching for food. They were trying to teach her, but they weren't good teachers at all. Right now they were walking down a long tunnel when, suddenly, they saw someone at the end of it, walking towards them. It was just a silhouette, so Elliott's first thought was that it was a Styx. But when the person came closer, she realized this wasn't the case.

"Shit," said Jacob, "It's Drake!"

"No, it can't be."

"Yes, it is! Look at his eye! It's definitely Drake, but what the hell is he doing here?" Elliott had no idea who this Drake person was, but Jacob and Lloyd seemed to be afraid of him.

Soon they were so close to him that Elliott could see his face. He looked like a normal guy, maybe around 25 years old, but she wasn't sure. He looked strong. But his most startling feature was the thing he had across his right eye. Elliott had no idea what it was supposed to be, but it gave off a soft orange glow.

"Hello, guys," said the man who obviously was named Drake.

"Hello, Drake. What the heck are you doing here?" asked Lloyd, glaring at Drake. He was clearly irritated.

Drake glared back. "I can be wherever I want to be."

"You can, but you really shouldn't. This is our part of the Deeps, and you know that, don't you?"

"It's not yours," Drake stubbornly contradicted. He seemed to notice Elliott for the first time, who stood at Jacob's left side, a bit behind. "Who's that?"

"Why do you care?"

"Is it a girl? A little Styx girl! What's she doing down here?"

"I'm not a bloody Styx!" Elliott blurted. Maybe she shouldn't have said anything, but she was so tired of people calling her a Styx all the time. She looked Drake in his eye – the left one, his right was covered by that weird thing – and maybe it was just an illusion but she seemed to notice a bit of compassion in his expression.

"Alright, I'm sorry. But you're little, and you shouldn't be down here. Especially not with these guys."

"I ran away from home. The Styx want me."

"I see," Drake murmured. Elliott instantly decided that she liked him. Not that she knew anything about him – he could be a murderer or something. But he reminded her of her dad. "Guys, isn't it a bit difficult to take care of her? I mean you've already got a hard time finding food. And now you have to play Mummy too, taking care of this girl."

"My name's Elliott."

"Taking care of Elliott, then. Anyway, if you want me to, I can take her instead. She'll have a good time with me."

"Never!" objected Jacob.

"Are we going to fight about it?" Drake smiled as if he knew who would win.

"Why do you even care?" Lloyd said.

"I'd like some help. It's starting to get a little lonely down here. And I feel sorry for her. No one should have to suffer living with you – I have a strong feeling you're not good mummies at all."

"You sound like a fucking priest."

Still smiling, Drake pulled out a gun and pointed it at Lloyd. "Leave her to me. Don't move any closer, just go back slowly and let me take care of her. Or else I'll shoot."

"You wouldn't dare." Lloyd's voice was shaking, and both his and Jacob's eyes were filled with fear.

"Are you serious? After all you've done to me? Of course I'll shoot. You almost killed me once. You _wanted _to kill me. But you didn't succeed, although I know you wish you did. _Of course I'll shoot._ And you know it. You know I won't hesitate for one moment. So do as I say, now. Or do you wish to die?"

Lloyd and Jacob glanced at each other fast, and then they started to slowly back up. Elliott now stood between Drake and her two former companions, trying to appear calm even though her body was trembling.

"Come here," Drake commanded, and Elliott approached him slowly until she stood by his side. Drake took off his backpack, still brandishing his gun in his large hand. "Elliott. That was your name, wasn't it? Look in the bag for a match and a little bottle with gasoline." Elliott found the two things quickly and showed them to him. "Exactly. Now, take the gasoline and put it over the floor between them and us. Then set fire to it." Elliott did as he said, and soon a huge wall of fire stood between Drake and Elliott, and Jacob and Lloyd.

"We're not finished with you Drake! We'll find you, I swear!" Lloyd screamed over the crackling fire. Drake finally put away his gun and smiled once more.

"I'm not finished with you two, either!" he screamed back. Drake swung his backpack onto his back walked away from the scene, Elliott beside him.

"So, tell me, Elliott," Drake said when they couldn't hear the fire anymore. "Why are you here?" When Elliott only stared at him with wide eyes instead of replying, he stopped walking and looked her in the eyes. "I know what those idiots did to you, okay? But I'm not like them. Those guys are more like animals than humans. They're completely insane." Drake stopped talking, scratching his unshaved jaw. "Anyway. I promise, I won't hurt you. Okay?" Elliott nodded. She liked him. He really reminded her of her dad, even though they looked completely different.

"Are you a Topsoiler?" she asked. She had never seen anyone with brown hair before. Just white, in some cases blond, and black.

"Yes, I am," Drake laughed. It was a laugh, but it sounded so sad. "It's been such a long time since I was last up there that I almost don't remember what it was like, though."

"My dad's been up there. He always told me stories about it."

Drake nodded and smiled, something he seemed to do often. "Your dad sounds nice." Elliott nodded agreeably. "You don't have to tell me, but I'd really like to know what you're doing down here."

"I ran away. My dad is…" Elliott began, but she changed her mind. "My dad was a Styx. And my mum's a Colonist. So they had to keep me a secret. But the Styx know, and they've hurt my dad and my mum's always worrying. All I did in the Colony was be afraid of spies, and that's not a life. So I had to run away."

"I see," Drake murmured. "So your dad's a Styx, then?" He scratched his jaw again.

"Yes," Elliott conceded. "But a nice one," she hurried to add. Drake nodded.


	10. Chapter 10 – Like a Dream

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**Chapter 10: Like a Dream**

– About four years later –

Will and Elliott were beside the little river again – the same one where Will had buried the Dominion phials– laying down in the soft, green grass.

"It's sad that Drake never got to see this place," Will said, and Elliott nodded. "You miss him a lot, don't you?"

"Of course I do. He was like a father to me, and I really loved him."

"He loved you too, I'm sure. When we talked about you, his voice always got, like… soft, you know?" Elliott nodded again, and smiled. But then she stopped, and looked suspiciously at him.

"Wait, did you talk about me?"

Will frowned a little and stared up at the sky and the dull clouds sailing across it. "Yes, sort of. But really, nothing much. It was just kind of… I told him about a dream I had, and then he started talking about you. And he said you liked him, I said you didn't, and he said you did, indeed."

This was interesting. "How did he know?" Elliott asked.

"So he was right?"

Elliott frowned, but didn't answer his question. "What was your dream, by the way?"

"Well… It was just something I had dreamt down the Deeps. Right after I met you for the first time. I dreamt I lay down in soft grass, and everything was just perfect. It was hot, but there was a cool breeze. The only sounds were the birds and her voice, because there was a girl there with me. I didn't see her face in the dream, but I just knew she was beautiful. And I loved her like I had never loved anyone else before. And we just lay there, talking, and laughing, enjoying each other's company. And everything was so perfect," Will repeated, smiling wide.

"Who was that girl then?" Elliott inquired carefully, trying not to get her hopes up.

"At first, I had no clue. But now I know."

"So who was she?" Elliott pressed, her heart pounding in anticipation.

"You, of course!" Will turned to Elliott, looking into her dark eyes, and smiled. "It was you. It's so obvious now, when I think about it."

"Exactly like right now, then? This was your dream?"

Will thought, and then nodded. "Yes, I think so."

"But you said… If I'm the girl then you…?" Elliott didn't know how to say it.

"Then I love you?" Will finished for her. "Yes, of course I do – I thought that was obvious. I've always loved you, and I always will."

Elliott smiled wide and her eyes were shining and sparkling. "I love you too", she said at last, and she meant it. "I love you so much. I want you to stay with me forever."

"I will. I promise," Will said and kissed her.


End file.
